Alaska scraps its 2 longest routes from Boise, shifts focus to the West

19.12.2023 - 21:07 / thepointsguy.com

Alaska Airlines is paring back service from one of its key focus cities.

The Seattle-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to cut its two longest routes from Boise Airport (BOI), as first seen in Cirum schedules.

Alaska will end service from Boise to Chicago on Jan. 7, 2024, followed by flights to Austin this summer. The carrier confirmed the cuts to TPG with the following statement:

"We're always looking for the best ways to maximize our flight schedule. Occasionally, we need to make adjustments, including in Boise... In 2024, we hope to further connect Boise to destinations throughout the West."

Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter.

Without these two routes, Alaska will offer about 30 peak daily flights from Boise to destinations across the West, including Las Vegas, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. You can find the full map of Alaska's Boise network for July 2024 in the map below.

Boise is one of Alaska's focus cities — not necessarily big enough to be considered a hub, but a strategic position the airline wants to maintain. Boise's second-largest airline, Delta Air Lines, operates about 18 peak daily flights; this makes Alaska the market leader for locals and visitors heading to the Idaho city.

Over the years, Alaska has grown its operation in Boise with new routes to cities like Los Angeles and Missoula, Montana. The airline started service to Austin and Chicago on June 17, 2021, as part of a mid-pandemic growth spurt for the city.

These two flights represented the airline's longest from the city and a new direction — eastward — for the airline's route map from Boise. These longer flights might've been a bit more expensive to operate, and without a full recovery in business travel, Alaska doesn't seem to think they're commercially feasible any longer.

Bargain mode: How to save hundreds on flights with the Alaska Airlines Companion Fare

In fact, service to Austin and Chicago doesn't really fit into the carrier's recent network strategy of boosting service on longer leisure flights. During the past few earnings calls, executives at Alaska have shared that the airline will shift its focus from business routes, like Seattle to New York, to leisure-focused flights, such as the new service from Seattle and Los Angeles to Nassau, Bahamas.

These two Boise cuts touch Austin and Chicago, two markets with a plethora of business travelers.

Without the Alaska flights, Boise will remain connected to Chicago thanks to United Express. Meanwhile, flyers heading to Austin will need to book one-stop connections through nearby hubs.

As for what's next for Alaska's Boise focus city, expect more routes to destinations throughout the West launching next year.